Paper-folding machine.



(Application filed Dec. 21, 1897.

(No Model.)

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m. SMITH. PAPER FOLDING MACHINE.

(Application filed Dec. 21, 1897.\

4 Sheets-Sheet 2,

(N0 Modem INVEN'FQQ YYITN'ESSES In: nomzls wzrzns 00.. pworaurnow, WASH Patented May 22, I900.

:4. SMITH. PAPER FOLDING MACHINE.

(Application filed Dec. 21, 1897.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

INVENT K WITNESSES m: uonms wrrzxs co, PHDTO-LKTNQ. WASHINGTON. a c.

Patented May 22,1900.

m. SMITH. PAPER mums MACHINE.

Sheet 4.

4 Sheets- (Application filed Dec. 21, 1897.)

(No Model.)

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INVEN' R Illll IIIIIH THE nonms Pcrzns w. Puovoumou wnsulnsron. a, c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARK sMITI-I, or MANCHESTER, ENGLAND.

PAPER-FOLDING MACHINE.

'SPECIFIOATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 649,997, dated May 22, 1900.

Application filed December 21, 1897. Serial No. 662,886. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

'Be it known that I, MARK SMITH, a citizen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Manchester, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Paper-Folding Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has been patented in part in Great Britain, November 25, 1895, No. 22,462.

- Paper-folding machines are commonly con structed with pairs of continuously-rotating rollers, between which'the fold is thrust by a reciprocating knife and from which the folded sheet is conveyed by continuously-running endless tapes, or, in a modification, a pair of gripper-cylinders With intermittent motion have been substituted for the pair of rollers. There are other types of folding-machines also, to which this invention has no affinity.

My present invention has been designed with the object of simplifying the construction and rendering more certain in action paper-folding machines of the gripper-cylinder and roller type. At the same time I am enabled thereby to dispense with the use of the paper-stops and with the continuousmotion of the rollers and tapes, and, further, to deliver the folded paper after the second or any subsequent fold.

I will describe my said improvements with reference to ,the accompanying drawings, in which=- r Figure 1 represents a sectional side elevation; Fig. 2, a transverse section; Fig. 3, details of folding-rollers Fig. at, a plan view below the upper part of the machine; Fig. 5 a side view, and Fig. 6 a sectional end view, of one of the gripper-cylinders. Fig. 7 shows an end view, and Fig. 8 a side View, of the mechanism for rotating the cylinder.

According to these improvements I employ both gripper-cylinders and pairs of rollers, a 45 gripper-cylinder for the first fold, andeither gripper-cylinders or rollers'for the subsequent folds, but rollers preferably for the last fold or folds only. The paper to be folded when laid with its edges against the points or gages has the line where the first fold is to be made exactly over the slot in the table and the gap in the gripper-cylinder. The fold is made der.

by a knife, which inserts the fold through the slot into the cylinder-gap, whereupon the gripper is closed and the cylinder is caused to make'one complete revolution. The endless tape rollers are geared with the cylinder and therefore move and stop therewith. During the motionof the cylinder and tapes the paper is released from the gripper, received by the tapes, and conveyed by them to a point where the line of the second fold comes exactly over the line of gap of the second cylinder, at which instant the first cylinder and the tapes and the paper thereon stop and the second knife folds the paper into the second cylin- Thus the necessity for fixed stops for the second and subsequent folds is avoided. The operation repeats itself for the third and fourth folds, which may advantageously be made by the rollers, hereinafter described, for the fourth fold only. Whether or not rollers are to be used for the fourth fold only or for both the third and fourth folds will be determined by the character of the paper to be folded on the machine. Thus for jobbing work, or when thin papers have to be folded, the fourth. fold may be made by rollers. When only thick paper has to be folded, the first fold only may be made with the cylinder and the others with the rollers. For intermediate work there may be two cylinders and two pairs of rollers.

As, except in necessary modifications of shape and arrangement, all the grippers, cylinders, and accessories are alike, a description of one will apply to each. I will therefore describe one only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters and figures are used to denote similar parts throughout. The cylinders are denoted by B B B The knife A of each cylinder is carried at the end of a curved lever Z, the opposite end of which is fitted with a friction-bowl riding upon the cam Z. The gripper in the cyl inder is operated to seize the folded paper-at the proper moment, as hereinafter described.

The suitable intermittent rotation of the cyl-.

inder always in the samedirectionis efiected by means of the pinion D, a toothed segment 0, and connecting-rod G which is attached to a crank-pin on the shaft carrying the cam Z and to the toothed segment. The pinion D is loose upon the cylinder-shaft and at-- tached to a disk 1)., upon whichthereis. pivo e a elick .Qr paw F, ic is engaged by a spring F to cause it to drop into anotch in a disk G, fixed on the cylinder end This notch and click insure the rotation of the cylinder in one direction only, the clickrunning free in one direction overthe eccentric edge of the disk G. (See Figs. 7 and 8.) The gripper H is operated by the camH; fixed on:

the frame side, (See Figs. 5and 6.) In contact with this cam there is a friction-bowl H on an arm fixed; upon-the-gripper-shaft h, on

and'a shoulder on a" fixed stop. It will be seenfby reference to the figures. that if the cylinder is rotated from the position shown totheleft the bowl will drop into the hollow of. the cam H, being compelled to do so by the tension offthespring H acting through theparts H and H The fold will thus be seizediin-the. usual." manner and held for a half-revolution, when the bowl is lifted to'the large'r radins of "thecam and the grip isfre- I; leased. -'1[he".grip -cylinder B is temporarily lockedin the position shown in Fig. 1 by a pivoted catch I, which engages with the notch 1 I,:Figs. 7 and 8, on the cylinder end, which 7 spring- I.

isheldin engagemen-t'by the compression- Its. disengagement at the proper instant is made by means of a' stop-pin I on: thetoothed segment G. 1 Below'the cylinder there runs a series of endless tapes on. the pulleys J J and above.

these. another series of endless tapes on the pulleyslK K. CWhen the cylinder has made a half-revolution, the gripper isfreed, where upon the folded paper is delivered therefrom toithe tfapes between which it-is conveyed: to the-nextcylinder B, where it stops to be again folded, if required, or'whenc it will be'carried forward and delivered at the next motion. These tapes are driven by gearing H? on the cylinder, so as to move and" stop therewith;

The knife can be'adjnsted in its" holder by.

j I arrange to: move the second and followingcylinders. in rightilines. relatively to the first and: to. each other. The folding-rollers also when. employed are arranged to be movedin like manner. J The base of the machine has the; frame N, carrying .the first cylinder, se

The frainel curely bolted toit or cast with it. N, carrying the second cylinder, slides upon M and can bemoved. by means of the handwheel N aand1 the screw N working-in a nut fixcd'in. the framing N.

The second cylinder and its cooperating mechanismare driven from the main shaft of the. machine by the shaftlV and the mitenwheels l 2, asis-here inafter described, and the adjustment of'the *toothed segment 0.- f rollers are to rotate intermittently in one .di-

frameN is permitted, .byforming the shaft V'with a feather or the like, s t at although it rotates with the miter-wheel 2 it is capable oflongit udinal motion thereon. The frame P, carrying the third and fourth'folders, is similarly moved, at. right angles to N by means of'the-hand-wheel P.

As already stated, I prefer to use for the ;later folds or for the last fold when the substance of the folded sheet is comparatively bulky the parallel rollers-Q Q, which are geared together and driven in the same manner as 'the cylinders by the quadrant or (See Fig. 3.) If these j rection, one of'them'may be provided with a loose pinion and click and be driven by a [toothed segmentv precisely as. described for thegripper-cylinders.'

"rollers Q Q into the box B, into which'they are pressed by thefli'ez-R, or they maybe dc-. ilivered after any fold into a boxor upon known arrangements of endless tapes and fliers, such as 0', Fig. I.

first motion-shaft S, on which is fi'iedapin ion 8?, ge'arin with a wheel? Tonthesecond motion-shaft on which are fixed the crankthe cam. Z, operating the knife. Theiwheel ,Tgears with an equal wheel U'on; the third miter-wheel 1, meshing with another miter-'- wheel 2 on the shaft V, on which are the crankder-and knife. 'On shaft V is fixed another miter-wheel 3, meshing'with: a similarmiter- ,wheel 4 on the shaft W,w-hich carries the cylinder and knife.

6 on the shaft X, whichv carries thejcrankdisk and cam for actuatingthe fourth folder andknife. It will be noted that in the drawings all the accessories for the second and following folders are not fully-repeated, .somebeing omitted for the sake of clearness. It-will be folders' of like construction are practically repeats in all details and thatldetails which icaiinot be clearly shown in the generalfdrawings: are separately illustrated.

; by Letters Patent, isv H 1. In a. paper-folding. machine, thecombination with grip-cylinders, of means for giv ing'them intermittent rotation in one direction'only and makinga single revolution for 'eachfold, reciprocatingknives for folding a sheet of paper and fceding'itto the griprcylinders, endless traveling; tapes and rollers carrying said tapes and geared with the 0311- ,inders so that the tapes move and stop with -;thecylinders, substantially assetforth.

The machine is driven by the pulley Son the.

Emotion-shaft U, which has fixed onfits end a.

disk and cam for actuating thesecond cylin The completely-foldedsheetsfdropfrom the disk T driving the iirstgripper-cylindemand crank-disk and cam for operating thethird 7 It alsocarries the-miter wheel 5, meshing with a similar miter-wheel lunderstood, however, that the successive 2 Having now described my invention, I de :clarethat what Icl'aim, and desire to secure 2. In a paper-folding machine,means which enable different sizes of paper and different foldings to be employed,consisting in the combination with the first folding appliance on the main frame, of a second folding appliance on a second frame at right angles with the first frame, the third and fourth folding appliances on a third frame at right angles with the second frame, means for adjusting said second and third frames, and sets of traveling tapes intermittently moving with the folding appliances and stopping while the fold is made over the second and following applianees, substantially as set forth. 7

3. In a paper-folding machine, the combination of folding appliances each comprising MARK SMITH.

Witnesses: WILLIAM GEO. HEYS,

ARTHUR MILLWARDa 

